Dems struggle to find a challenger for Boughton

Published 10:03 pm, Saturday, May 25, 2013

DANBURY-- As the campaign season nears, the reality for Danbury Democrats is this: They have no one who wants to run against six-term incumbent Mayor Mark Boughton.

November may seem far away to most voters, but Democrats acknowledge that to pose a serious challenge to Boughton, the sooner someone enters the fray, the better.

Yet so far, one Democrat after the other with the clout, name recognition and resources to attract interest from the party has professed an unwillingness to take on the mayor, who has his own aspirations for higher office.

City Council President Tom Saadi, former Mayor Gene Eriquez and former state Rep. Joe Taborsak have all said the time is not right for them to seek the city's top post, although no politician will ever completely close that door.

While most say family and professional commitments prevent them from entering the race, they concede that a six-term incumbent, be it Boughton or any other politician, is tough to beat.

"There is no question an incumbent is difficult to beat, that's been the case in Danbury for the past 40 years," Eriquez said. "But the party has some good prospects for both today and in the future."

Party chairman Joseph DaSilva Jr. said he's approached current and former elected officials about a potential run. As of Friday nobody has expressed any intentions to enter the race.

"Running for mayor is yeoman's task," he said. "It takes a lot of time and a lot of money."

Time is running out to raise the kind of money that would be needed to mount a challenge, as much as $150,000 in DaSilva's estimation, "but the money is there," he said.

"We just need the right person to raise it."

Boughton has yet to run unopposed in the past six elections, although past party chairwoman Lynn Taborsak entered the race late in the season two years ago after other party members failed to pick up the torch.

Taborsak lost the race after focusing the campaign on education issues and Boughton's own political aspirations.

"One foot out the door," one of her campaign slogans at the time, was a reference to Boughton's short-lived gubernatorial run. Eventually, Boughton landed on the ticket as gubernatorial candidate Tom Foley's running mate.

The duo narrowly lost the election by approximately 6,000 votes.

While Boughton has consistently said he is focus on running the city, he hasn't ruled out another gubernatorial bid in 2014.

Boughton's career aspiration "is still a very salient issue for the voters to consider," DaSilva said.

"Voters considering you for office have a right to know if you'll be dedicated to the job," he added.

But whether the Democrats will have someone to bring that message to voters this fall remains uncertain.

Saadi said that, while he's been asked, he won't run for the city's top post because of family commitments and his military service. He said, however, that he is confident the party will have a candidate come November.

"It was a family decision based on what is best for my family and the citizens of Danbury," he said. "At this point I can't give 100 percent of my attention to the job, and that's what it would require."

Eriquez, who served as the city's mayor for more than a decade beginning in the late 1980s, said a mayoral race can take its toll and the timing has to be right personally and professionally.

While he hasn't entirely ruled out making a run for City Hall, Eriquez said he already has a full plate because of a new nonprofit he has in the works to provide services to the city's needy.

Joe Taborsak said that while he hasn't ruled out a mayoral run in the future, "now just isn't the right time for me, but I'm honored to have been mentioned."

Democrats have until their party's convention in July to nominate a candidate.